After being shutout by Vassar College 2-0 just 16 days ago, the fifth-seeded St. Lawrence University men's soccer team exacted a measure of revenge by taking down the fourth-seeded Brewers 2-0 in the first round of the Liberty League playoffs on Tuesday afternoon at Gordon Field.

The Scarlet and Brown improved to 10-6-1 on the season, while Vassar fell to 11-3-2.

The win will send St. Lawrence to Troy, N.Y. for a matchup against top-seeded RPI in the semifinal round of the Liberty League playoffs. The Saints will be going back to the semifinal for the first time since the 2018 season, where the team won the Championship in penalty kicks.  

"Another good win against a very good team that is extremely well-coached," said head coach Mike Toshack "We created numerous chances, especially in the first half as we started the game very well. Defensively, we were rock solid from front to back! I am very proud of this team and we're looking forward to the Semifinals on Saturday."

The Scarlet and Brown struck first, capitalizing on a big error from the Vassar defense. A Brewers defender was making his way to the midfield line and attempted to center a pass to a teammate in the middle of the pitch. The wayward pass instead found Marvin Sibanda at the midfield line, who advanced the ball to Robert Reynolds. Reynolds spun around a tackle and made a run to the goal. The senior midfielder drew the attention of three Vassar players and the goalkeeper as he was nearing the net. Reynolds took advantage of the attention and slid a pass to a wide open Sibanda in front of the net for the tap-in goal to go up 1-0.

With the goal, Sibanda reached the ten-goal plateau for the season. He is the first Saints player since Sam DeMello in 2013 to reach that number. The feat has now been reached 11 times in the program's history, and Sibanda becomes the ninth separate player to tally 10 or more in a season.

With just over 26 minutes left in regulation, the Saints added a second goal to build their lead. Sibanda took control of the ball in the middle of the offensive end and laid out a pass to Kyle Graber, who was streaking down the right side. Graber tossed up a perfect cross that connected with the head of Antonio Rogliano. Rogliano flicked the ball past Eric Wnorowski to take the 2-0 lead.  

The Brewers did well to generate offense down the stretch as they looked for a goal to get back in the game. However, Ben Woelfinger and the Scarlet and Brown back line were up to the task. One of the Brewers best efforts came from the foot of Kinlay Watkins. Watkins possessed the ball in the Saints' defensive end and fired a hard shot from just outside the box. Senior Andrew Terhune came in and headed the hard shot away to dispel the attempt. The rest of the back line dissuaded a further opportunity by forcing Vassar to sail their next shot over the frame.

In the final moments of the game, the Saints were called for a foul in the box for their hard defense. The Brewers sent Austin Lukasik to the line to at least break up the shutout, as there was under 10 seconds remaining, but Woelfinger made the huge save diving to his right to seal the game and the clean sheet.  

Woelfinger stopped all six shots that came his way, as the junior picked up his fourth shutout of the season. Wnorowski stopped eight of the ten shots the Saints put on frame in the loss.

St. Lawrence was attacking right from the kickoff and had the 19-15 edge in shots and the 10-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Saints earned four corner kicks, while the Brewers had three.

The Scarlet and Brown will not have much time for celebration as they will be traveling to Troy, N.Y. for a matchup against RPI in the semifinal round of the Liberty League playoffs. The Saints will take on the hosts on Saturday, November 6th at 11:00 a.m.